Latest news with #FrenchTech
TechCrunch
17-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Mistral's Le Chat chatbot gets a productivity push with new ‘deep research' mode
French AI lab Mistral introduced a range of new features to its Le Chat chatbot on Thursday that bring it closer to the capabilities of rivals like OpenAI and Google. The new update includes a new 'deep research' mode, native multilingual reasoning, and advanced image editing. The news comes a couple of days after Mistral released Voxtral, its first open source AI audio model that's capable of reasoning in multiple languages, transcription, and more. Voxtral is also available via Le Chat. Mistral says its new deep research mode, like those offered by rivals, turns Le Chat into a coordinated research assistant that can plan, clarify your needs, search, and synthesize data. 'What the model does is really go and look into a big variety of sources on the web to answer a specific question,' Mistral's head of product, Elisa Salamanca, told TechCrunch. 'We believe this feature is going to be very relevant for both consumer and enterprise use cases. For consumers, because it can research travel and provide an exhaustive analysis of the best travel plans. And for enterprise work, it can do exhaustive research.' While the updates are available across all tiers – Free, Pro, Team, and Enterprise – Salamanca notes that Mistral is focusing on integrating Le Chat and Mistral's productivity suite into enterprise ecosystems with this release. That's in large part because Mistral handles data connectors differently than competitors. 'A lot of customers who have very sensitive data don't actually use cloud services, or if they do, they do it on their own premises with virtual private clouds,' Salamanca said, citing customers in banking, defense, and government. To address this, Salamanca said Mistral's Le Chat and productivity suite connect to enterprise data on-premises. In other words, companies can use Le Chat's deep reasoning and other capabilities to analyze their own internal data without having to upload anything to the cloud. That's a meaningful differentiator against cloud-native LLM platforms like OpenAI, which is Azure-hosted, and Gemini, which is Google Cloud-based. It also opens the door for Mistral to offer other productivity tools. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW 'A big part of our value proposition, especially when we release Le Chat Enterprise, is that we want to make [things like] Microsoft Excel and Google Docs and that kind of office suite work seamlessly with our capabilities,' Salamanca said. 'So the connectors that we release with Le Chat Enterprise are actually one step in that direction. We're building these connectors internally because we believe this is going to be a key for using Le Chat as a productivity enabler in the business context.' Aside from deep reasoning, Le Chat has gotten other updates today. While users have been able to use Le Chat to reason through complex questions via Magistral, Mistral's new reasoning AI model, that capability was previously only available in English. Now, Mistral natively supports multilingual reasoning in languages like French, Spanish, Japanese, and others. Mistral says Le Chat can also code-switch between languages mid-sentence. This latest update from Mistral also includes the addition of Projects, which helps users stay organized by grouping chats, documents, and ideas into focused spaces. Each project can have its own default library and remember which tools and settings a user has enabled. Mistral says use cases include planning a move, designing a new product feature, or keeping work-related projects on track. Finally, Le Chat is getting improved image editing capabilities. This allows users to create and edit images with prompts like 'remove the object' or 'place me in another city.' The new features put Mistral in a more competitive range with the AI industry's frontrunners, positioning Le Chat as more than just a model demo, but a full-stack contender.
Japan Today
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
'Applied AI' set to dominate France's Vivatech trade fair
By Mona GUICHARD Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, Paris's Vivatech trade fair opening on Wednesday will spotlight hoped-for economic benefits from AI. The top attraction on the opening day of this year's four-day show will be Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, looking to make a mark in Europe for the company that builds the most computing hardware for artificial intelligence. President Emmanuel Macron, a regular at Vivatech, will also attend the event at the southern Paris convention centre, the Elysee Palace said, with a walking tour and chats with "French Tech" startups on the agenda. Tech watchers expect more products than ever embedding AI into everyday life to be shown off in the exhibition halls. "What's changed from previous years is that we've moved from AI as science fiction to applied AI," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. He trailed around 30 sectors with concrete AI-powered products on show, from luxury to insurance, health, energy, cars, logistics and more. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors are expected to travel to Paris from around the world, while organizers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. Nvidia's Huang -- likely sporting his trademark leather jacket -- has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. Bitouzet said it was a "source of pride" to bring aboard semiconductor heavyweight Nvidia, whose high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units) are widely used to power the latest generative AI models. "It proves that the European market in general and the French market in particular are attractive and that today (Nvidia) has ambitions for this market," the Vivatech boss added. EY's European tech, media and telecoms chief Cedric Foray predicted that "there will definitely be announcements targeted at Europe" from Nvidia. The US firm has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, with U.S. politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Huang has warned that China is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. U.S. politics preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers too. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without U.S. giants -- and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Bitouzet said. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty", the Elysee said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Top French firms at Vivatech -- where around half the exhibitors are local companies -- will include Mistral AI, a French competitor to much-bigger OpenAI. Mistral's founder Arthur Mensch is set to discuss AI with Macron and Huang at a roundtable at the end of the first day of the event. © 2025 AFP
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
'Applied AI' set to dominate France's Vivatech trade fair
Paris: Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, Paris's Vivatech trade fair opening on Wednesday will spotlight hoped-for economic benefits from AI. The top attraction on the opening day of this year's four-day show will be Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, looking to make a mark in Europe for the company that builds the most computing hardware for artificial intelligence. President Emmanuel Macron , a regular at Vivatech, will also attend the event at the southern Paris convention centre, the Elysee Palace said, with a walking tour and chats with "French Tech" startups on the agenda. Tech watchers expect more products than ever embedding AI into everyday life to be shown off in the exhibition halls. "What's changed from previous years is that we've moved from AI as science fiction to applied AI ," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. He trailed around 30 sectors with concrete AI-powered products on show, from luxury to insurance, health, energy, cars, logistics and more. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors are expected to travel to Paris from around the world, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. Nvidia headlining Nvidia's Huang -- likely sporting his trademark leather jacket -- has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. Bitouzet said it was a "source of pride" to bring aboard semiconductor heavyweight Nvidia, whose high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units) are widely used to power the latest generative AI models. "It proves that the European market in general and the French market in particular are attractive and that today (Nvidia) has ambitions for this market," the Vivatech boss added. EY's European tech, media and telecoms chief Cedric Foray predicted that "there will definitely be announcements targeted at Europe" from Nvidia. The US firm has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, with US politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Huang has warned that China is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. Tech sovereignty US politics preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers too. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US giants -- and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Bitouzet said. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty", the Elysee said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Top French firms at Vivatech -- where around half the exhibitors are local companies -- will include Mistral AI, a French competitor to much-bigger OpenAI. Mistral's founder Arthur Mensch is set to discuss AI with Macron and Huang at a roundtable at the end of the first day of the event.
France 24
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- France 24
Paris Vivatech fair to spotlight transition 'from AI as science fiction to applied AI'
Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, Paris 's Vivatech trade fair opening on Wednesday will spotlight hoped-for economic benefits from AI. The top attraction on the opening day of this year's four-day show will be Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, looking to make a mark in Europe for the company that builds the most computing hardware for artificial intelligence. French President Emmanuel Macron, a regular at Vivatech, will also attend the event at the southern Paris convention centre, the Élysée Palace said, with a walking tour and chats with "French Tech" startups on the agenda. Tech watchers expect more products than ever embedding AI into everyday life to be shown off in the exhibition halls. "What's changed from previous years is that we've moved from AI as science fiction to applied AI," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. He trailed around 30 sectors with concrete AI-powered products on show, from luxury to insurance, health, energy, cars, logistics and more. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors are expected to travel to Paris from around the world, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. Nvidia headlining Nvidia's Huang – likely sporting his trademark leather jacket – has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. Bitouzet said it was a "source of pride" to bring aboard semiconductor heavyweight Nvidia, whose high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units) are widely used to power the latest generative AI models. "It proves that the European market in general and the French market in particular are attractive and that today (Nvidia) has ambitions for this market," the Vivatech boss added. EY's European tech, media and telecoms chief Cedric Foray predicted that "there will definitely be announcements targeted at Europe" from Nvidia. The US firm has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, with US politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Huang has warned that China is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. Tech sovereignty US politics preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers too. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US giants – and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Bitouzet said. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty", the Élysée said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Top French firms at Vivatech – where around half the exhibitors are local companies – will include Mistral AI, a French competitor to much-bigger OpenAI. Mistral's founder Arthur Mensch is set to discuss AI with Macron and Huang at a roundtable at the end of the first day of the event.
eNCA
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- eNCA
'Applied AI' set to dominate France's Vivatech trade fair
PARIS - Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, Paris's Vivatech trade fair opening on Wednesday will spotlight hoped-for economic benefits from AI. The top attraction on the opening day of this year's four-day show will be Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, looking to make a mark in Europe for the company that builds the most computing hardware for artificial intelligence. President Emmanuel Macron, a regular at Vivatech, will also attend the event at the southern Paris convention centre, the Elysee Palace said, with a walking tour and chats with "French Tech" startups on the agenda. Tech watchers expect more products than ever embedding AI into everyday life to be shown off in the exhibition halls. "What's changed from previous years is that we've moved from AI as science fiction to applied AI," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. He trailed around 30 sectors with concrete AI-powered products on show, from luxury to insurance, health, energy, cars, logistics and more. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors are expected to travel to Paris from around the world, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. - Nvidia headlining - Nvidia's Huang -- likely sporting his trademark leather jacket -- has top billing with an opening presentation slated to last more than an hour. Bitouzet said it was a "source of pride" to bring aboard semiconductor heavyweight Nvidia, whose high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units) are widely used to power the latest generative AI models. "It proves that the European market in general and the French market in particular are attractive and that today (Nvidia) has ambitions for this market," the Vivatech boss added. EY's European tech, media and telecoms chief Cedric Foray predicted that "there will definitely be announcements targeted at Europe" from Nvidia. The US firm has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, with US politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Huang has warned that China is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. - Tech sovereignty - US politics preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers too. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US giants -- and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Bitouzet said. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty", the Elysee said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Top French firms at Vivatech -- where around half the exhibitors are local companies -- will include Mistral AI, a French competitor to much-bigger OpenAI. Mistral's founder Arthur Mensch is set to discuss AI with Macron and Huang at a roundtable at the end of the first day of the event.
